


Grey Looms Ahead

by Cass04



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ransom, Tags May Change, Things Go Wrong, Torture, Uh oh lol, hostage, “Cassandra v. Eugene” episode rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27587677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cass04/pseuds/Cass04
Summary: Things don’t go according to plan in the tunnels when the Stabbington Brothers escape and take Eugene and Cass hostage.Season 1 Episode 5 rewrite
Relationships: Captain of Corona's Guard & Cassandra (Disney), Captain of Corona's Guard & Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider, Cassandra & Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider (Disney), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 26
Kudos: 41





	1. Fallen

**Author's Note:**

> Had this idea for a bit so I decided to go with it. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

_ Step. _

Eugene had to get this just right. Their lives depended on it. And if it meant he had to put on a cocky front to get his plan up and running, so be it. 

_ Step. _

Besides, he would be damned if he let these two knuckleheads get the best of him _now._

_ Step.  _

“ _ Right there… _ ” 

He had them right where he wanted them. 

_ Perfect.  _

_ Step.  _

“ _ I’m  _ the Princess’s boyfriend. I come with a lot more  _ leverage. _ ” 

Eugene’s gaze flickered to Cass - looking between the weapon in her hands and the beam he had meticulously placed the brothers under - hoping she would catch the hint. 

And guessing by the look on her face, Cass was connecting the dots, much to his relief. It was up to her now. 

~*~

Halberd. 

Beam. 

_Got it._

Cass had to act quickly. If they were going to get out of there, Cass had to get this right - one wrong move, and the whole tunnel could cave in.

Lining the halberd up with the beam securing the ceiling, Cass got into position - slowly moving to the right angle so as not to catch the attention of the brothers - while the brothers kept up their speech. 

“...say goodnight.”

That was her que. 

Cassandra cleared her throat, catching the brothers off-guard, and kicked as hard as she could. 

That was the first mistake made. 

The beam fell a couple of inches in front of the brothers - the force of the impact sending it off course of it’s desired target. The Stabbington Brothers watched as the dust of the impact settled on the bridge of their shoes unamused, while the other two in the tunnel held their breaths - surprise and shock painting both their faces. 

Silence followed. Eugene looked at Cass who was too stunned to notice anything - her gaze set on the beam on the floor.

It wasn’t long before Eugene saw a smirk form on the brother with the patch - a scowl on the other. And before the former thief could do anything to stop it, the man with the patch turned around completely and lurched forward, this time catching Cass off-guard. 

“Cass, look out!” 

But it was too late. Before Cass could register what was happening, a power punch sent her reeling to the wall with a yelp - the force knocking the wind out of her. She collapsed to the floor and the feeling of blood beginning to pool on the back of her head made itself known from where she collided with the rough barrier when she carefully brought up a hand to the wound in an attempt to alleviate the pain piercing through her head. 

That was the second mistake. 

The echoes of her cry disappeared and were replaced with the rumbling and trembling of the tunnel. 

First it was a pebble, then a rock. And the next thing anyone knew, the remainder of the beam fell - leaving the ceiling of the tunnel precarious - dusk fogging the air. And then it ended, silence falling on the four again.

No one dared to move or spoke - hoping that would be the end of the collapse. 

But as their luck would have it, the rumbling recurred with a new intensity. This time with larger rocks and rubble falling around the four.

Eugene was the first to spring out of his trance - looking around and noticing his fallen friend and the fact that the brothers were not too far off from where she was. Not to forget that he was well far away from where they were to do anything at the moment. 

His hands began to tremble, a sweat forming on the side of his head. 

This was bad. Really, really bad. He focused once more on Cass, jaw set in determination. 

He had to get her out of there. 

Running towards where the raven girl fell, Eugene tried to dodge as much debris as he could to get to her. But everywhere he turned - every path he attempted to take - the rocks were either falling at a rate impossible to avoid or they had already created a barrier between him and his friend. 

He was stuck. Eugene’s face paled, but he called out to her in a hopeless attempt - may she could snap out of it and get out of there before something worse happened. 

“Cassandra!”

~*~

She heard him. Eugene. 

His voice was faint, but it was there. 

Cass tried to get up from where she had fallen, but her initial attempt had only resulted in another blunt force to the head. 

Everything hurt. But she had to move. 

With a grunt, she forced herself onto her knees and lifted her head - pounding with each boulder that landed too close for comfort. Everywhere she looked, however, debris and unsettled dust were there to obscure her vision. She noticed the Stabbington Brothers not too far from where she was and she would be lying if she said that that hadn’t unsettled her in the least. 

Grabbing hold of what she could from the wall next to her, she steadied herself to her feet and inched closer to where she could still hear Eugene’s voice calling out to her. But she wouldn’t make it in time.  A barrier had started forming, closer and closer to where she was, separating her from the former thief and forcing Cassandra to retrace her steps back to where she had fallen. She could faintly make Eugene out on the other side of the barrier and could faintly make out the fact that even he was forced to back away from the debris as it fell closer and closer to him. 

She could hear him calling out to her still, but his voice soon became buried beneath the rumble of the tunnel and the collapse of the rocks and wood. 

“Eugene!”

Her coughs from the dust forced Cass to her knees as she attempted to call out to the former thief once more. But the rocks continued to fall, the wall blocked her view of the man, and the last thing Cass remembered was the wall of rocks and the echoes of her name before a blunt force to her head fades everything away into black.  __


	2. Aftermath I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive comments and feedback! You all are amazing <3
> 
> Enjoy :)

_ It didn’t work. _

The boulders had caved in, the dust settled, and all was silent save for the resonating echoes of the collapse ringing in Eugene’s ear - and were those footsteps?

He stood not too far from where the wall of boulders separated him from the Captain's daughter. His heart beat wildly in his chest - he could hear, feel even, every beat pounding in his ear. His breath tried to even after the rush of adrenaline, but it seemed like an impossible task - the weight of the situation weighing heavily on his shoulders. The former thief didn’t know how long he stared at the rubble - only that he was behind one side of the wall while Cass was either behind the other with his former partners in crime or… buried under.

His eyes widened at the thought and his heart skipped a beat. He took a panicked step toward the rubble and called out the lady in waiting’s name - his voice hoarse from his previous endeavor. 

The former thief didn’t know what he expected - the only result he received from his vain attempt was the echoes of her name mixing with what he guessed was the faint resonance of footsteps from the pursuing guards further down the tunnels.

Another perturbed step and a shout yielded the same results - much to the man’s dismay. The former thief rushed forward, his eyes looking over every inch of the barrier for an opening that would let him see or hear what was happening on the other side - continuing to call out in the meanwhile.

Dim light shining through the top right corner where the wall met the ceiling filled Eugene with hope - only for it to be crushed by the lone fact that he couldn’t reach it, no matter how high he was able to climb up the piled rocks. He frowned and tried reaching it again - calling out again when he got as close as the wall allowed him. “Cass! If you can hear me, answer!”

No answer. 

He scowled, climbed down, and resumed his previous search. When his hurried search came up empty, however, the former thief began removing whatever he could from the piled rocks. The sharp edge of a wooden beam ended his endeavor shortly, however, and he held his now bloodied hand as he grimaced and angrily backed away from the barrier - cursing under his breath.

His back hit the wall adjacent to the piled rocks and he slid down tirelessly, his other hand applying pressure to his wound while he listened to the ever increasing sound of boots on the pavement echo off the tunnel walls. He waited for what he presumed were the guards to arrive at the scene with one thing in mind. 

_ It didn’t work. _

~*~

Rapunzel didn’t expect her plan to go this badly. All she wanted was for Cass and Eugene to get along - nothing more. 

The blond-haired princess ran through the field - her trusted chameleon perched in his usual spot on her shoulder on the lookout for the same thing as the princess. 

She ran faster with each shadow she passed, her eyes scanning the ground for the opening her raven-haired friend had shown her not too long ago - though with the sun setting her task proved to be difficult. 

“See anything Pascal?” The shaking of the chameleon’s head ‘no’ from the corner of her eye had the princess resume her own search - her brows furrowing. 

She needed to find the hole soon, she didn’t know what would happen to her friends and she didn’t want to wait to find out. 

Rapunzel stopped to catch her breath, her eyes continuing their scanning of the field - they lit up when they suddenly fell upon the opening they were looking for. “Over there, Pascal!”

She ran toward it with a renewed fervor and looked down into the tunnel.

Confusion painted her face when she first saw the wall and she leaned down and called for her friends - a bad feeling rising in her chest. 

~*~

“Hello? Are you guys down there?”

The sound of Rapunzel’s voice snapped Eugene out of his trance as he got to his feet - only then noticing the opening Rapunzel had called him from. 

“Blondie?” He moved to where her voice had come and into her line of vision.

“Eugene, you’re okay!” He flashed her a relieved smile and she mirrored his before leaning forward again and looking around. Her smile falling slightly. “Where’s Cass?” 

His heart skipped a beat and he looked away from his girlfriend to the pile of debris. “She…”

Rapunzel followed his gaze, her eyes widening as she attempted to connect the dots in her head, her own heart beginning to beat faster. “Eugene, what’s going on?”

The former thief looked up to the blonde-haired girl once more, not sure what to say. But just as he opened his mouth to respond, the group of guards had finally caught up to the pair. 

The Captain and his men came with their swords drawn and weapons in hand. The Captain looked at the wall in surprise before shifting his gaze to the former thief and what he could see of the Princess. He lowered his weapon at the realization that the criminals were missing. 

But they weren’t the only ones missing.

His eyes widened when he assessed the area once more - taking a couple steps forward - thinking he had missed something at first glance. 

But all was the same: Rider standing not too far from him, the wall of rocks, the two criminals vanished, and his daughter missing. He looked to the former thief worriedly - Eugene’s glance meeting his.

He was almost afraid to ask the former thief, his heart racing with each possibility of an answer, but he pushed his own fears to the side. “Where’s Cassandra?”

They held each other’s gaze before the Eugene looked to the piled rocks once more and answered defeatedly. “Either on the other side of the rocks with the Stabbington Brothers or… under- ”

The Captain didn’t let him finish - not needing or wanting to hear rest of the explanation - before he hurriedly turned around and faced the surprised faces of the guards - his commands snapping them back. “I want three guards on the other side of that wall and two here! I want to know what happened to my daughter now!” 

“Yes, sir!” They all saluted before three disappeared into the tunnels and the two remaining guards started moving boulders from the pile in a rush. 

The Captain turned around to face the former thief once again. And before the younger man could react, the Captain grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him close, and whispered dangerously low - a scowl on his face. 

“Start talking, Rider.”


	3. Aftermath II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait
> 
> TW: mentions of blood, violence, light swearing 
> 
> Enjoy!

The world spun when she came to. 

Cassandra’s mind felt heavy. The only thing she was aware of was the ringing in her ears and the beating of her heart. Her whole head pounded with each endeavouring movement she made - the rocks around her pinning her left limbs to the floor. Noticing this, Cass tried to pull her limbs free only to realize that her futile attempts resulted in sharp pains shooting up to the rest of her body. 

Cass groaned weakly and brought her free hand to her pounding head in an attempt to alleviate the pain. But instead winced when she touched the open gash from where, she guessed, the sharp end of a beam grazed - two wounds now leaking blood onto the debris under her. She withdrew her hand and stared at the formidable wall of boulders - allowing the day's events to catch up to her - only one thing coming to mind. 

_ It didn’t work.  _

All she had to do was kick the beam above the Stabbington brothers down with the halberd. Instead, she made the whole structure collapse onto the four of them. And now Fitzherbert was behind one side of the formidable barrier and she was on the other… with the Stabbington brothers. 

Cursing under her breath, Cass held her breath and pushed to free herself of her confinements -much to her aching body’s protest. Pushing her free leg against the wall, she tried to pull herself out but to no avail - only managing to get half her hand out. 

She huffed and stopped her endeavour to allow time for the aching to cease, when she heard the shuffling of moving pebbles from the other side of the tunnel. Cassandra shifted to where the noise originated and saw the two brothers freeing themselves from the rubble. 

When they managed to unbound themselves, the two criminals began to make their way over to Cassandra - both with rage filled in their expressions, their heavy panting and mumbled curses mixing with groans of anger and pain from their own injuries. 

They towered over her, scowls fixated on their faces, before one of the brothers reached down to Cass, grabbed the collar of her dirtied tunic, and pulled her out of the debris in one swift movement - a pained scream escaping Cass’s lips as her arm and leg scraped through the various sharp tips of the rocks and wood that surrounded her limbs in the rubble. 

He slammed Cassandra into the wall and it wasn’t long before the brother with the eye patch followed through too - sending a punch to her gut as the brother let go of her clothing. Cass heaved forcefully, a groan following the echoes of the impact, before her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees into a coughing fit. 

Her collar was grabbed again as she was forced onto her feet, the hand gripping her, yet again, bringing her close to the attackers face. Cassandra grabbed onto his wrist in an attempt to loosen his grip, but it was strong despite the injuries he obtained during the collapse - her strength not even close in matching the convict’s. And when he spoke, his voice was low and menacing.

“You let him get away.” He sent another blow to her face this time - making the wounded woman cry out again, the vigor of her struggle fading with each blow she took. He looked at his brother, his grip still tight around her clothing, “I’m gonna kill her.” His threatening gaze returned to the struggling figure he was holding, “If we can’t have Rider - we can get him through her.”

The brother reeled back to send another punch and Cass tensed under his gaze - bracing herself. But it didn’t come. Before Sideburns managed to send the blow, his brother grabbed his hand. “Patience, brother. I have a better idea.” He stepped forward, taking the Captain’s daughter from his grip. “We can still have the Captain’s daughter as a bargaining chip.” 

That was it. 

Cass’s eyes widened and she renewed her struggle. Collecting all her remaining strength, she swung her body and - gaining momentum - managed to use her good leg to kick the brother with sideburns to the wall closest to the trio. Caught by surprise, her new captive didn’t have time to react before she grabbed onto his shoulders, pulled herself up, and head-butted the eye-patched convict. 

As he loosened his grip and took a couple of steps back - tripping over the debris - Cass fell to the floor, stifling a groan from the impact on her injured leg. But, again, gathering what little strength she had left, she leaned on the tunnel wall and attempted to run down the old excavation. 

She wouldn’t make it far, however. 

The injured woman only managed to make it a few feet before Sideburns grabbed onto her leg - tripping her in the process. And with impeccable strength, he reeled her all the way back to the eye-patched convict’s arms. Cass cursed under her breath and attempted to wiggle out. But before she could make a move, a sharp tip was pressed against her throat. 

“One move and you’re dead.” She gulped nervously before looking to the weapon the criminal had pressed against her. Somehow, they had managed to find the now damaged halbert between the debris. 

“Shit.” 

The captive’s brother, now partially recovered from Cass’s attack, came over to the pair. “What should we do with her?”

“Like I said before, we use her to get our freedom and our revenge on Rider. But first, we gotta get outta here.” He pressed Cass against the wall. “And you’re gonna lead us outta this tunnel. And if you don’t,” he tightened his grip and drew blood from her neck with the halberd, “you won’t see the light of day again.” 

Getting a strained nod from the captain’s daughter, the captor released her before the two convicts grabbed her arms - dragging her across the tunnel. 

“Lead the way.”

~*~

Cass wasn’t a fool. 

She knew all the ins and outs of these tunnels, having studied them profusely. She knew her father was after her and that he and the guards had enough knowledge of these tunnels to make their way to her. 

All she had to do was either lead the two criminals to them, the other side of the wall, or keep them going in circles until they were found - which wouldn’t be a problem so long as the brothers thought she was leading them away. 

So that’s what Cassandra was doing: leading the two idiots in circles. At least that was the plan. 

It wasn’t long before one of them spoke up. “Hey, didn’t we pass by here before?” Cass tensed under their grip, she just needed a little more time. 

The eye-patched brother didn’t say anything. Instead, the two stopped - looking around their environment. 

Before Cass knew what was happening, she was dragged in front of Patch - anger written on his face at the captain daughter’s tactics. “The hell do you think you’re doing.” She doubled over when he sent a punch to her stomach. 

It was then that shouts and footsteps could be heard down the tunnel. The captain’s daughter smirked under her bangs - a feeling of relief filling in place of dread. She looked up to the two convicts. She didn’t expect the unsettling looks of calm on their faces, however - smirks overtaking the looks of annoyance they had displayed a couple moments before. 

Sideburns looked to his brother. “If she can’t lead us out, maybe they can.” And before Cass could react, her world turned black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Life’s been hectic.
> 
> Thank you for reading and sticking around <3  
> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Comments, thoughts, and criticism welcome!
> 
> See ya around :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Comments, thoughts, and criticism welcome! 
> 
> See ya around :)


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